Washer



H. N; IPSEN Feb. 21, 1961 WASHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1957 MVEIIO'TO Qlowolcl m- P H. N. IPSEN Feb. 21, 1961 WASHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22,v 1957 NVEMTOM Wanna Id lpd' m W 1444 W% CATTORNEIY/ Feb. 21, 1961 H. N. IPSEN 52 WASHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 22, 1957 Won Ci k IPJQN CAT'TOYQIOELYJ WASHER Harold N. Ipsen, Ipsen Industries Inc., Rockford, 111.

Filed May 22, 1957, Ser. No. 660,886

6 Claims. (Cl. 134-57) This invention relates to a washer for cleaning workpieces and, more particularly, to a washer of the type in which theworkpieces are supported on a platform and lowered into a bath contained in a tank. In such Washers, the space above the tank may be enclosed to form a chamber for drying the washed workpieces and this space is separated from the bath by a cover carried by and supported beneath the platform. To heat the bath, heated gases flow through a tube which projects into the bath and these gases may be exhausted into the space above the bath to facilitate the drying.

One object of the invention is to increase the drying action by the provision of a novel means for circulating the exhaust gases about the work.

Another object is to increase the versatility of the washer through the provision of mechanism for rinsing the workpieces either before or after the washing operation.

The invention also resides in the novel construction and arrangement of the means for providing the rinse and in the means for draining the used rinsing liquid from the cover without interfering with the raising and lower-Y ing motions of the work supporting platform.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a washer embodying the novel features of the present invention, parts being;

broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the washer. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sprayingmeans, the cover and the tube for conveying the heated gases through the bath and into the drying chamber. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary'view of the means for conveying the used rinse'water from the cover to'a drain. e i For the purposes of illustration, the invention is shown in the drawings as embodied in a washer which includes a receptacle or tank defining a washing chamber 11 and containing a body of liquid 12 in which the workpieces are to be washed. The level 13 of the liquid is maintained by a trough 14 (Fig. 2) extending along one side of the tank and leading to a drain 14 and this trough is utilized to skim off oil and floating foreign substances, the latter overflowing into the trough. To immerse the workpieces in the liquid, they are sup ported on an elevator platform 15 which is connected to a motor 16, shown as a piston 17 sliding in a cylinder 18, through an inverted yoke framework 19 and is lowered into the tank through a rectangular opening 20 (Fig. 1) formed in the horizontal upper tank wall 21. Herein, the workpieces are loaded in a tray 22 and trans.- ferred from a loading platform or support 23 at one side of the washer to the elevator platform 15 within a. cas-' ing 24, which encloses the space25 above the opening 29. .The support 23 is conveniently mounted at the level A 2,972,352 Patented Feb. 21, 1961 ice vator 16 as is a second support 26 which is located on at which the; platform 15 stops when raised by the elethe opposite side of the casing and receives the tray after the workpieces have been washed. Both of the supports 23 and 26 and the platform 15 are made up of laterally spaced rollers 27 journaled between parallel bars 28 to permit the tray to he slid easily from one to the other.

To maintain the bath 12 at the desired temperature, the liquid is in heat exchanging relation with a heater 29 which, in the present instance, is an elongated tube projecting into the tank 10'near the'bottom of the washing chamber 11 and at one side thereof. As shown in Fig. 1, the tube 29 extends horizontally throughout the length of the tank as indicated at 30, then up and reversely as indicated at 31 and finally across one end of the tank as indicated at 32 (see Fig. 2). The washing liquid is circulated about the tube 29 by an agitator 33 mounted on the lower end of a vertical shaft 34 and disposed in the tank 10 on the side opposite the tube 29. The shaft 34 is driven by a motor 35 mounted on the tank and projects down into a baffle assembly 36 which insures efficient circulation of the liquid.

Hot gases flowing through the tube 29 are utilized to provide the heat for, maintaining the'temperature of the bath. Forthis purpose, a burner tip 37 (Fig. 1) is disposed at the inlet of the tube and is supplied with a combustible gas by a pipe 38 connected to a suitable source (not shown). The gas is burned at the tip 37 and the resulting flame and heated gases are drawn into the tube ina manner to be described later. The flow of gas to the burner tip is regualted by a valve 48 which is disposed in the supply line3$ and is operated by a solenoid 49. The latter is under the control of a thermostat (not shown) which responds to the temperature of the bath 12 and, in a manner well known in the'art, energizes the solenoid to open and close the valve as required to maintain the bath at the proper temperature.

Advantage is taken of the use of heated gases by employing them for the additional function of drying the workpieces after the latter have been washed. To this end, the tube 29=terminates in an exhaust end portion 39 which opens into the space 25 within the casing 24. The exhaust gases circulate about the work in this space,

which thus constitutesa drying chamber, and assist in drying the workpieces.

In order to minimize the loss of heat from'the bath 12 and to prevent moist vapors from entering the drying chamber 25, a rectangular imperforate" cover plate 40 I automatically closes and opens theopening 26 as the elevator platform 15 is raised and lowered out of and into the tank 10. The plate is suspended from the framework 19 in the washing chamber to close theopeningand separate this chamber from the drying chamber '25 when To insure that the cover 40 engages the flange 41, the

cover is suspended from the framework 19 by a plurality of bolts 42 each of which projects through .the cover and extends upwardly through a flange 43 on the framework beneath the platform 15. The bolts yieldably support the cover through the medium of springs 44 which act between nuts 45 on the lower ends of the bolts and p the underside of the cover.

Blocks 46 rigid with the cover are bifurcated to straddle stationary'vertical rods 47 which guide the. platform as it is raised and lowered.

According to one aspect of the invention, the drying efiect of the gases exhausting from the tube 29 is in-,

3 7"" l creased by employing a blower 47 which draws the exhaust gases through and out of the tube' 29" anddirects them into the drying chamberZS. Herein, the blower 47 is of the centrifugal impeller type driven by a. motor Shand'is disposed coaxiall'y'with the outlet end portion 39 0f the tube 29 at the upper end thereof; The blower discharges the exhaust gases horizontally alongside the drying chamber 25 and into a series of deflectors 51 which divide the flow and direct the gases into the space between the platform 15 and the cover 40; A second set of deflectors 52 locatedin this space again divide the gases and turn them upwardly so that they flow through the platform and around the workpieces supportedthereon. The arrangement is such that the valve id'always is open when the blower is operating even through the bath 12 is at the propertemperature so that there are exhaust gases during the drying'period.

The present invention also contemplatesthe provision ofnovel means for rinsing theworkpieces'while the latter are disposed in the chamber 25 The rinse may be used to Wash excessoil and thelike before the work is. lowered into the bath 12 for final washing so as to reduce the contamination of the bath or it may be used to rinse the washing liquid off the work immediately prior to the drying operation. This means comprises a spraying device 53 located in the chamber 25 and conne cted to a source 54? of rinsing liquid. A controller 55 selectively causes the liquid to flow to the device Sit-which sprays the liquid over the work resting on the platform 15.

In the present instance, the spraying device 53 is in the form of a plurality of nozzles 56 arranged intwo rows along the sides of the chamber 25 andmounted on,

laterals 56" extending horizontally across the top of the chamber. One end of each-lateral is closed by a cap 57 while the other end is connected to a header 58 which, in turn, is connected to a riser59 leading to the source 54 of rinsing liquid so that theliquid flows from the source, through the riser, the header, the laterals and out through the nozzles. The latter are oriented to blanket the work with the spray and provide a thorough rinse.

Herein, the source 54 of rinsing liquid is a tank disposed within the washing chamber 11in heat exchanging relation with the tube 29 so that the gases flowingthrough the tube heat not only the bath 12 but also the. rinsing liquid. The tank 54 is-locatedbetween the two horizontal sections 3t) and Siof the tube 29 and is formed by two generally rectangular sheet metal side plates 6% extending from one tube section to the other and bytwo end plates 61. Each side plate is welded to the two tube sections and to-the end plates so that the tube 29 actually constitutes the top and the bottom of the tank 54. Normally, the rinsing liquid used is water under pressure, such as the usual city supply, admitted to the tank through a pipe 62." A valve, which thus is the controller 5'5, actuated by a solenoid '63 selectively connects the tank to'the pressure supply and this'pressure isutilized to force the water out through the nozzles Thus, the rinsing operation is initiated by opening the valve 55 and terminated by closing'the valve;

To prevent the rinse'water from either contaminating or diluting the washing liquid, a novel means is provided for draining the water from the cover 463 while permitting the cover to perform the function of closing the opening 26 and without interfering with the raising and lowering of the platform 15. This means comprises a drain pan disposed at one end of the coverto receive the used rinse wt er and pivotally mounted on the tank 1% to swing between active position in which it conveys the water to a trough 65 (Fig. 4') and an inactive position in which it permits the platform 3.5 to be lowered into the bath and raised back out.

As shown in Fig. 3, the'central portionde of the cover is'inclined downwardly toward the drain pan 64 so that theused rinse water flows toward. the latter. The pan is pivotally supported on a bracket 67 (Fig. 4) rigid with the trough 65 which extends along the adjacent end wall of the tank and leadsto a drain pipe 68" (Fig. 1). In the active position shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the pan projects in under the low end of the cover and is inclined downwardly to the trough 65. In the inactive position illustrated in broken lines, the pan is swung down and out from'under the cover so that the latter clears the pan as the platform 15 is moved up and down. Downward swinging of the pan is limited by the bracket 67 which thereby acts as a stop.

Preferably, the drain pan 6 4 is swung between its active and inactive positions automatically as an incident to the movement of the platform 15 For this purpose, L-shaped brackets 69. depend from the cover 40 near the sides thereof and beyond the side edges of the pan to engage the ends of a horizontal bar '70 secured to the outer end of the pan and extending beyond the pan. at both. sides thereof. The brackets 6? project beyond the end ofthe cover farenough so that they always are beneath the bar 79. Thus, when the platform 15 and cover 4% are raised, the brackets engage the bar, the paired then beingin the inactive position, and lift it thereby swinging the pan to the active position. When the cover and platform are lowered, the pan swings back down by gravity to the inactive position and beyond the ends of the cover and the platform to permit these parts to continue their downward movement.

It will be apparent that the washer described above is capable of producing the washing, rinsing and drying operations in a variety of sequences. Any desired sequence or cycle may be performed automatically through the use of well-known control circuits (not shown) for the-motors 16, 35 and 5t) and the solenoids 49 and 63.

I claim as my invention:

1. A washer comprising a walled receptacle adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper wall thereof, acasing enclosing said opening and defining a drying chamber which communicates with said washing chamber through the opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically between an upper position in said drying chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber,

.' a conduit extending into said receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said washing liquid and adapted to pending from the latter to turn the gases up and to direct the same through the platform and about the work supported thereon.

2. A washer comprising a walled receptacle adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper wall thereof, a casing enclosing said opening and defining a drying chamber which communicates with said washing chamber through the opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically between an upper position in said drying chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber,

a conduit extending into said receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said washing liquid and adapted to condut heated gases therethrough, said conduit having an outlet end portion disposed adjacent'said drying chamber, a blower disposed adjacent said outlet end portion and operable whenenergized to draw the gases out of said conduit and deliver them to said drying chamber to circulate about said platformand' dry the worksupported thereon, a burner operable to burn a combustible gas and deliver heated gases to said conduit, a valve operable to deliver combustible gas to said burner, means responsive to the temperature of said liquid to open said valve intermittently thereby to maintain said washing liquid at a predetermined temperature, and mechanism operable concurrently with the operation of said blower and overriding said means to open said valve irrespective of the temperature of the washing liquid to insure the flow of heated gases into said drying chamber.

3. A washer comprising a first walled receptacle defining a washing chamber adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper wall thereof, a casing enclosing said opening and defining a second chamber which communicates with said washing chamber through the opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically between an upper position in said drying chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber, a conduit extending into said receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said washing liquid and adapted to conduct heated gases therethrough to heat the liquid, a second and smaller receptacle disposed Within said first receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said conduit, said conduit having two spaced parallel portions and said second receptacle being disposed between said portions and in heat exchanging relation with each of the portions, means for supplying a rinsing liquid to said second receptacle to be heated by the gases in said conduit, and a spraying device connected to said second receptacle and operable to spray rinsing liquid into said second chamber and rinse the work supported therein on said platform.

4. A washer comprising a walled receptacle defining a washing chamber adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper wall thereof, a casing enclosing said opening and defining a second chamber communicating with said washing chamber through said opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically through said opening between an upper position in said second chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber, a cover disposed beneath said platform and in said receptacle and operable to close said opening when the platform is in the upper position, means operable as an incident to lowering and raising of said platform to lower and raise said cover thereby to open and close said opening, a spraying device operable when said platform is in the upper position to spray a rinsing liquid into said second chamber to rinse the work supported on the platform, said cover being inclined toward one end, a drain trough disposed within said receptacle and spaced beyond said one end, a pan pivotally mounted in said receptacle to swing about an axis disposed beyond said one end and having an active position in which it projects in under said one end and extends to said trough to channel the rinsing liquid from the cover to the trough, and means operable as an incident to lowering of said platform to swing said pan out from under said cover and to return the pan to the active position upon raising of the platform.

5. A washer comprising a walled receptacle defining a washing chamber adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper wall thereof, a casing enclosing said opening and defining a second chamber communicating with said washing chamher through said opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically through said opening between an upper position in said second chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber, a cover disposed beneath said platform and in said receptacle and operable to close said opening when the platform is in the upper position, means operable as an incident to lowering and raising of said platform to lower and raise said cover thereby to open and close said opening, a spraying device operable when said platform is in the upper position to spray a rinsing liquid into said second chamber to rinse the work supported on the platform, said cover being inclined toward one end, a drain trough disposed within said receptacle and spaced beyond said one end, a pan pivotally mounted within said receptacle to swing about a horizontal axis disposed between said cover and said trough and having an active position in which it projects in under the cover and extends to the trough to channel rinsing liquid from the cover to the trough, said pan being operable to swing down and out from under said cover to an inactive position, a first abutment carried by said platform, and a second abutment rigid with said pan and engageable with said first abutment to swing the pan to the active and inactive positions as said platform is raised and lowered respectively.

6. A washer comprising a first walled receptacle defining a washing chamber adapted to hold a body of washing liquid and having an opening in a horizontal upper Wall thereof, a casing enclosing said opening and defining a drying chamber which communicates with said washing chamber through the opening, an elevator having a work supporting platform movable vertically between an upper position in said drying chamber and a lower position in said washing chamber, a conduit extending into said receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said washing liquid and adapted to conduct heated gases there through, said conduit having an outlet opening into said drying chamber to permit the heated gases to circulate about said platform and dry the Work supported thereby, a second and smaller receptacle disposed within said first receptacle in heat exchanging relation with said con-' duit, means for supplying a separate rinsing liquid under pressure to said second receptacle to be heated by the gases in said conduit, a spraying device disposed within said drying chamber, a control member operable when actuated to connect said spraying device and said second receptacle thereby to spray rinsing liquid into said drying chamber and rinse the work supported therein on said platform, and mechanism selectively operable to raise and lower said platform, to admit theheated gases into said drying chamber, and to actuate said control member when said platform is in said upper position thereby to cause said rinsing liquid to flow from said second receptaclc to said spraying device.

Ipsen May 29, 

